Both consoles are five years into their generation, both play the same big third-party games, and both get discounted a few times a year. The right pick comes down to a handful of questions, and to which one you can actually get at the price you want.
The quick decision
- Want Sony's exclusives (God of War, Spider-Man, Gran Turismo, Astro Bot)? PS5 Slim.
- Want Game Pass, with hundreds of games for a monthly fee and new Xbox titles on day one? Xbox Series X.
- On a budget and happy at 1440p? The Xbox Series S is the cheapest way in and shares the whole Xbox library.
- Still buy discs, or borrow games from friends? Make sure you get a model with a drive; both brands now sell digital-only versions.
What's inside
| PS5 Slim | Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage | 1 TB SSD | 1 TB SSD | 512 GB SSD |
| Disc drive | Standard model yes (detachable); Digital Edition no | Standard yes; All-Digital no | No |
| Target resolution | 4K | 4K | 1440p |
| Frame rate | Up to 120 fps | Up to 120 fps | Up to 120 fps |
| Controller | DualSense | Xbox Wireless | Xbox Wireless |
The Series X and PS5 Slim trade blows on performance. The Series S is a smaller, quieter box that runs the same games at lower resolution, and it's the one that's almost never out of stock.
Disc or digital?
Digital-only consoles are cheaper and sleeker, and every game is a download. Disc models let you buy used, lend, and resell, and physical copies are often cheaper in sales. If you have slow internet, discs also save you 100 GB downloads. On the PS5 Slim the disc drive is a separate module, so a Digital Edition can be upgraded later.
Which one is in stock
This is where the two differ most in practice. The Xbox Series X and Series S are usually available; the PS5 Slim goes through sold-out stretches around price changes, bundles and the holidays. Our pages show the live status at the stores we check:
Each one shows the price the store reported, when we last checked, and every price drop we've seen. Both brands discount their consoles a few times a year, so if you can wait, set an alert with "also on price drops" ticked and let the sale come to you.
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